Posted on 12/01/2025 4:38:42 AM PST by RandFan
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing bipartisan scrutiny over his reported order to strike a boat in the Caribbean a second time, killing two survivors who were clinging to the ship’s wreckage on Sept. 2.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Hegseth issued an order to “kill everybody” after the initial strike, the first of what is now more than 20 such attacks, did not immediately kill all 11 of the people on board the vessel, leading the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack to order a second strike.
Some Democrats and a senior Republican said Sunday the strike was a possible war crime. The GOP chairs of the House and Senate armed services committees are promising “vigorous oversight” of the incident.
“We take seriously the reports of follow-on strikes on boats alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question,” Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chair of the House committee, and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in their statement.
“The Committee has directed inquiries to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to the circumstances,” said Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the Senate committee chair, and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, agreed with Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Mark Kelly (Ariz.), who said the strike against defenseless individuals appeared illegal.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Not much of a 'shores of Tripoli' guy are you? Over 200 years of precedent and Tripoli was in their territorial waters. Not unlawful @ all. Read LOAC.
I have heard that much of the Chinese fentanyl is delivered to Venezuela and distributed through the cartels there. I don’t know this, but it is what I’ve read.
“Not much of a ‘shores of Tripoli’ guy are you? Over 200 years of precedent and Tripoli was in their territorial waters. Not unlawful @ all. Read LOAC. “
Show me the evidence of wrong doing by these boats, proof and not government assertions which remain unproven in court and it’s a curious thing when the USA will extend violations of it’s nations’ laws to other countries and international waters but not extend Constitutional protections with it.
Where do you think the boat's intel comes from? From dopers ashore currying favor. The transport dopes are just chum for the program.
this story is an attempt to give cover for the “SEDITOUS 6”...so they can say “see, they were giving illegal orders”.They know Kelly stepped in it.
Out of step with public opinion?
Seriously? Is that some mind game comment to try and shame us into going along with the lemmings?
First, just exactly what is the honest public opinion on this?
Second, just when has FR as a whole ever made it a point to comply with public opinion?
Or are you just all emotional like a lib would be because you never knew the names of the those that got whacked?
“It’s a fake story.”
Of course it is, but if all the concern trolls accepted that fact they would not have anything to be all concerned about.
Thanks, about what I suspected but didn’t have the time or energy to research. I knew a fellow freeper would follow up.
China/CCP supplies mostly fentanyl “precursors” to Mexican cartels who manufacture and move it into the USA:
“As reported by the 2025 INCSR, “The United States
determined that Mexico was again the most significant
source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogues
significantly affecting the United States in 2024,” and
“companies in the PRC remain the largest source of
precursor chemicals and equipment used to manufacture
illicit fentanyl.” Although some fentanyl precursors are
subject to international controls, as mentioned, others may
be produced and exported legally from certain countries,
including China. Mexican customs officials reportedly have
struggled to detect the illicit diversion of these chemicals.”
https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF10400/IF10400.14.pdf
I guess it is possible that Venezuela smuggles some small amount of fentanyl but Venezuela and Columbia are mostly (90%+) cocaine and pot:

Jonathan Carter:
Neither of these soyboys would last 10 seconds in the military...
Further on China and Mexico fentanyl trafficking:
(Pretty much 100% of the supply)
Pete is just doing his job and the dems don’t like it.
Something about all of this smells.
Badly.
I’d like to know the political affiliation of those navy personnel involved.
All too convenient.
Smells...
The Convention addressed that issue. Yes, it applies, even among those who have not signed.
But what EVERYONE misses, is in the final report of the Convention of Geneva of 1949, the protections would not apply to “brigands”, a party wholly uninterested in following the Law of Armed Conflict, as judged by their actions.
Bush, Obama, and everyone else got it wrong. Because a 800+ page report on all the plenary meetings is just too hard to read.
In other words, no grace. But everyone has been brainwashed with Common Article III.
This is very interesting to me. Is this an artifact of the treaties we have signed, or of US law, or both? Fighting a gentlemanly war when your opponent is also civilized is one thing, but being gentlemanly when your opponent is barbaric is just stupid. Fight fire with fire.
Just the latest episode of “The walls are closing in on Trump”. They trot this same old crap out every couple of months. I think most us Americans stand behind Trumps Foreign policy including war on the cartels, tariffs and Ukraine(no more money for them).
Who is the original source of these claims?
Narcoźtwrrorists in cold water, hundreds of feet down. Mission accomplished!
I don’t know much about naval operations but I do know that when I was in gunnery, it was practice to always send to rounds down range when engaging a target. This was ensure the target was completely destroyed, 2 rounds one right after another. I doubt much has changed since then.
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